The invention relates to apparatus and methods of pulverizing materials into small particle sizes.
Reducing large, discrete materials into smaller particles is an important process for many industries. For example, in the mining industry, ores are crushed into smaller size particles to increase the available surface area so that metals can be extracted by chemical leaching. The cement industry grinds rocks into grains of various particle sizes. Most machines used for these purposes grind larger chunks of material into smaller particles with rollers or with a ball crusher. The crushed material is typically comprised of a range of particle sizes. Both types of machinery are massive and prone to breakdown when crushing hard materials. In addition, they have large power requirements.
The recycling industry also reduces waste materials into smaller particles. Typically, materials with different compositions must be separated prior to being reduced in size, making the process more costly.
The livestock industry produces a great deal of animal waste that must be dried and reduced in bacterial content, which process can takes weeks, before being used for fertilizer or other purposes.